Our Story
by Team M
Summary: 'Our story is... different. It isn't special. It isn't memorable. And it isn't heartwarming. But it's ours. And that makes it good enough. That makes it everything." xNiley. Their story... start to finish.


**Our Story.**

Our story is... different.

It isn't special.

It isn't memorable.

And it isn't heartwarming.

But it's ours. And that makes it good enough. That makes it _everything. _

Let's start off with a simple fact. Whoever said fame doesn't change anything was a liar. Fame changes _everything. _Fame was how I met him. Fame was how I fell in love. Fame was how I became heartbroken. Fame was how I was destroyed. Fame was how I was made.

It started when we were twelve. We were both at a party, and it was my friend that introduced us. The first five minutes I had to lead the conversation because he was too shy. After that, the first thing he asked was if we could take a picture together. His friends back home wouldn't believe him when they said he met the oh-so-famous Miley.

If only he knew he'd end up being on the phone that night until four in the morning with his new _girlfriend._ We both knew we were moving too fast, but this was it. I knew this was the real thing. I was in-love. I always had fallen fast, but for this boy, oh, I fell _hard_ too.

It was hard managing that long-distance relationship. Therefore, when I found out he would be moving to LA with me I couldn't be happier. I would have everything here now once my boyfriend and two best-friends moved in across the street.

Only, he wasn't the only one who moved out here. There was another new girl to Disney. They were introduced to her before I was, but I was definitely introduced.

Selena.

And, I think, that's when our story really started. That's when our love was tested. That was the reason for our story. That's the reason the story is even worth telling.

So, I'll start from Selena. I'll start there and see where it goes. Maybe it'll be boring, maybe it won't mean anything to anyone else, but it meant something to me.

**July 21, 2007**

It was scary flying alone for the first time. My parents or siblings weren't with me. It was just me in the jet as I flew the long distance to Canada in order to see him. He was shooting a movie out there with a new girl, Demi and his brothers. Actually, Joe was more of the star.

They all met me at the airport right outside the gate. All six of them were there. I smiled, running up to Denise first. She wrapped me in her arms as if I was her own daughter. I stood there, smiling like an idiot. This was where I belonged. They were like my second family.

Once we pulled away I made a beeline for Nick. He smiled with his teeth, opening his arms as I ran to him. He laughed as I almost toppled him over. I gave him a quick kiss, pulling away before his brothers could tease us about it. He looked down at me, smiling like the world would last forever.

"I missed you."

I giggled, clinging onto his neck. "I missed you too. So much."

"It's okay. We don't want hugs," Joe spoke up.

"Good," I quickly shot back, not even opening my eyes to look at him. I knew his comment was supposed to be sarcastic, but I hadn't gotten a hug from Nick in a month. It felt too amazing in his arms to let go now.

"C'mon, guys. Let's get back to set before someone gets a picture," Denise lectured, trying to get us to move. But, Nick didn't let go of me. Instead he simply bent down and picked me up, as if it was nothing.

I squealed, holding around his neck even tighter. "What are you doing?"

"Carrying you. Joe, get her bags, will you?"

I smiled. "Nick, you're gonna hurt yourself. Just put me down."

"I'm gonna hurt myself?" I could hear that stupid smirk in his voice. "You do know you don't weigh anything, right?"

"You're full of shit," I muttered, making sure Frankie didn't hear me.

"Chill. You seriously are the lightest person I know."

I rolled my eyes. "Until you drop me. Then I'm just a dead weight."

"Well, calm down, 'cause I'm not gonna drop you. I can see the car."

"Denise, I love you and all, but if he drops me I'm filing a lawsuit."

"Would you _shut _up? I'm not gonna drop you. My mom is opening the door, I'm putting you in the car, and I'm climbing in next to you," he buckled his seatbelt, looking at me skeptically. "Are you safe now?"

"Yes, I am. Thanks for caring."

"Stop, you two," Denise got in the front seat as the trunk opened.

I glanced back to see Joe and Kevin both glaring at me. "Your girlfriend, and we still get to do all the work."

"I love you," I cooed, watching them chuckle and get in the car. "How's your girl, Kev?"

"_Danielle_ is doing great," he gave me a pointed look. Okay, so maybe I did forget her name, but it's not like he's told me it that many times.

I nodded whispering a witty comeback, continuing to catch up.

Once we got to their set it didn't take long to see Demi. She was up front with someone older eating. Joe rolled his eyes, screaming her name. She whipped around to face us, a smile forming on her face as she ran over to Joe giving them a hug. I looked up at Nick in confusion but he just shook his head. I swear, they looked like a couple.

"This is Miley," he introduced us.

"Hi," I grinned, holding my hand out. She happily obliged, shaking it.

"Look who finally started listening to her body guard!" Joe laughed.

Nick wrapped an arm around me, pulling me closer.

"Well, he starts lecturing me the other day and one minute it's about not hugging people I don't know and the next thing I know I was raped in his fantasy world! I'm terrified to meet anyone now!"

Kevin laughed, shaking his head. "I'm sure you are."

"She refused to shake my hand when she first met me," Nick explained. "She said she didn't do handshakes. She did hugs. Then she insulted me."

"I did not insult you!"

"Whatever," he scoffed, looking down at me playfully. "You scarred me for life. I will never forget that. Anyways," he turned to Demi. "Where's Selena? I wanna introduce her to Miles."

Selena? Who the hell was she and why didn't I hear about her before? They told me about Demi, but I was pretty sure I would remember the name Selena. It wasn't exactly common and the glances Kevin and Joe were exchanging weren't exactly innocent.

"She went upstairs to get something. She'll be back."

Nick nodded, turning away and pulling me with him. "Well, I'm gonna show Miley where her room is then."

He picked me up again, making me hold on. "Nick! Didn't we already go over this?"

"Yes, so you should know that I'll win," he smirked. I sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be putting me down anyways. I leaned onto his shoulder, resting my head.

"I missed you," I whispered, holding him tighter if that was possible.

"I missed you too, baby," he began rubbing my back as we waited for the elevator.

Once we got in he pressed me against the wall as I smiled. That only meant one thing. Pulling myself away his eyes were thirsty. As if we could read each other's minds, we both leaned in for the kiss. I forgot how amazing a real kiss from him felt.

"You're amazing," he pulled away.

"I really don't care," I connected us again as his tongue trailed my bottom lip.

"You know, if I had a camera and wasn't your friend, you two could be in a pretty big mess right now, Nick."

I jumped, pulling away as he turned around in surprise, still not moving his hands from my body. I shrugged, leaning into the hug. Might as well take advantage of the time I do have with him.

"Holy crap, Selena, you scared me!"

"Sorry," she laughed. "Just didn't want to see that all the way to the lobby."

She got in, pressing a number. I nudged Nick in our hug, reminding him I was there. It was as if he forgot I didn't know her.

"Miley, Selena. Selena, this is Miley."

I pulled away smiling and ready to shake her hand, but then I saw it. She had that look in her eyes. The same look I saw everyday filled with jealousy, anger, and worst of all, envy. I saw the way she was looking at both of us, how she scanned me mercilessly for an imperfection. I realized that she didn't interrupt to protect us from going public or as a joke. She did it for herself.

That's how I met Selena; by finding out she was in love with my boyfriend.

And that's when our story started.

**August 26, 2007**

I was more than excited that night. Then, when I finally began to calm down, I looked beside me and just got happy all over again. Tonight was going to be amazing. Walking down the carpet I knew it had to be. It wasn't possible for it to be anything less. I had my favorite family here with me, we were sharing a couch, _and_ we would finally be announcing we're going on tour together.

Walking in I gave them all a hug, watching Nick's eyes trail my dress. It was blue just to bring out my eyes. I knew he'd like it.

"You're beautiful," he told me when I was hugging him.

There, it really wouldn't matter if I got any awards. I was happy enough. I had everything anyone could ever want. Therefore when I did win I was more than excited, running onto stage. I probably looked like a stupid teenager and it probably seemed like I was high or something, but way back then, I didn't care. It didn't matter what everyone else thought.

I walked down after, getting the most gigantic hug of my life from Nick.

"I'm so proud of you." Coming from anyone else, that meant nothing. But coming from Nick, it meant everything to me. I gave him a kiss on the cheek, sitting back down beside him, letting the photographers take pictures.

Next was the fun part, though. I got to actually present with the three of them. It was more than fun. Backstage me and Joe teased each other not to choke while Kevin talked to Nick. The feeling when we announced the tour can't even be explained. It was so amazing to hear so many people screaming for us. Just four teenagers, trying to figure this thing out.

It got me even more pumped for the road, though. Going home it's all we could talk about. Me and Nick were riding back with my mom while Joe and Kev rode with Denise. I couldn't stop telling him how much fun we would have. It was all I could think about.

"And," he interrupted best time. "I'll get to see you in the Hannah wig almost every day."

I groaned, throwing my head back as I laughed playfully. We both knew that I wouldn't give up Hannah for anything. "Great."

"Aw, you look so cute in it though," he pinched my cheeks, cooing.

"Stop it," I slapped him away. "You know everyone would _die_ to meet Hannah Montana."

He chuckled, nodding in agreement. "I know. Even Selena says she can't wait until she gets to shoot with you guys. She's really excited."

I rose my eyebrows. I wasn't aware that he was talking to her. In fact, I wasn't even aware they were even friends. But apparently, they were, and apparently, they'd been texting all night. I had noticed him typing messages all night, I just didn't think it mattered. It did now.

"I thought she was Demi's friend," I hinted at my confusion.

"Well, she's Demi's best-friend, but me and her are friends, too."

"And why didn't you mention that before? Everyone made it seem like she was only friends with Demi."

"I didn't think it would matter, Mi," he told me softly as my mom pulled into our driveway.

"I'll give you guys some privacy," she got out quickly, walking inside.

I looked back to Nick. This chick was in love with him – of course it mattered.

"How often do you talk to her, exactly?" I forced out, stepping out of the car and into the driveway.

I could tell he was getting annoyed, but I couldn't stop. To me, this was a big deal. "Not that often. Four times a week, five or six tops."

I bit my lip, slamming the door after he got out. We both just stared at each other, not wanting to say anything to hurt the other, but really not having anything else to say. "I don't like that."

"Why?" he shot instantly.

"I don't like her."

"Why? Because she's friends with me?" he exclaimed. "That's stupid, Miley!"

"No! Because she's in-love with you! And I'm not okay with that," I yelled back as he actually chuckled. He murmured a few words under his breath, trying to contain him self.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"She likes you, Nick! I see the way she looks at you – it's the same way I do. She doesn't want to be friends, she wants to be more!"

"No she doesn't. We're just best-friends-"

"Oh, best-friends now?" I laughed bitterly. "Oh, my, God-"

"Miley. You can't control my life! If you really loved me as much as you say you do you'd let me have my own friends!" he glared at me.

"So now I don't love you?" I spat. "I do love you. That's why I'm saying this. I don't want to fucking lose you to some new girl."

"You can't choose my friends," he told me firmly through his teeth. "Now, when you want to grow up and realize that, and maybe turn back into my girlfriend while you're at it, then I'll talk to you."

"Nick!" I yelled as he began to walk to his house. "Nicholas!" He didn't even hesitate to keep walking. "Ass," I muttered.

How could he not see that look she gave him. It was as if she was falling in love more just by staring. She had a huge crush on him, and if he wanted to deny that, fine, but that didn't mean I would just sit back and be okay with it. Because I wasn't okay with it at all. She wanted to take him away from me.

Still, somehow the next morning when I woke up it was _me_ who felt guilty. I sighed, replaying last night. He was right, I didn't have the right to choose his friends for him. He could talk to whoever he wanted and I should trust him. I groaned, grabbing my phone from beside me and dialing his number. I can't believe _I'm _the one apologizing.

"Hello?" Oh, crap. I didn't expect him to pick up. He always ignored his problems until they came face-to-face. All I was planning to do was leave a voicemail, have him feel sorry, he'd call back, we'd make up, problem solved.

"Uh, hi."

"Miley?" he asked half-asleep. Well, that would be why he answered – he didn't know it was me.

I nodded before realizing that he couldn't see it. "Yeah. I just wanted to say sorry for last night. I had no right-"

"No," he interrupted. "You didn't."

"Nick, please. I'm sorry. I don't want to fight with you."

I didn't hear anything for awhile before he let out a breath. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have blown up on you for saying your opinion."

Damn right, he shouldn't have. "It's alright. I gotta go to set, though. Early call time. I'll text you, okay?"

"Sounds good. And, please, try to be nice to Selena? She really wants you to like her."

I bet she does. I bet she really wants to figure out more about Nick from me too. I wasn't stupid, I knew what girls did to get a guy. But instead I just agreed, hanging up with a 'I Love You'.

I got ready quickly, getting dressed to impress. If she would be invading my life for the next week, I would be making it crystal clear that she could _never _live to be me. She couldn't replace me. The bar was too high.

Driving to set with my dad I explained the whole situation to him. He nodded, kind of confused at the whole drama but pretended to understand anyways. "So, if you think I'm about to go off on her, can you come over and get me?"

"Just, be professional, Mi. Walk in, say the usual lines, get out, and go to tour rehearsal with your boyfriend," he explained while we parked. "It's only five hours on set. The other four are with your best-friends."

I nodded, taking a deep breath. "I got this. I can control myself."

"I know you can," he locked the car, walking in beside me.

"Miles!" Mitch waved me over. I hugged my dad before jogging over to him, giving him a hug. He kissed my cheek, "I missed you!"

"I know! You too. Gosh, you can't just go on vacation!"

"I'm sorry," he put his hands up, a small smile on his face.

"I ban you from vacationing again. You can't just leave me to fend for myself."

He laughed, nudging me playfully. "So did you and Em get along?"

I rose my eyebrows. "Me and Osment? Get along?" I faked a giggle. "Funny."

"One day, you guys are gonna be best-friends." He honestly believed that. I wanted to tell him off, but instead, I decided to let him have his fantasy. Me and Emily would never be friends. Too much had happened. "C'mon. She's talking to this new girl. She's guest-starring. Let's go say hi."

I had never been more tempted to scream that I didn't want to go before then. We had to see the two of them sooner or later, though. I threw my head back, letting him lead me around to the make-up room.

"Hey, guys. Miley's here."

Emily looked over, smiling a little. I gave a grin back, going over to Selena. I took a deep breath. I would act nicely towards her. Only for Nick.

"I'm Miley, looks like you'll be working with us the next week."

She looked up at me, smiling brightly in recognition. "Hey."

"Okay, guys. Our read-through is in five minutes!" I told everyone in the room as they nodded. I pulled out my phone, finally texting Nick.

_Got to set okay. With Selena now. See you later ;) love you._

I shut it once I was assured it sent, going to slip it in my pocket.

"Oh, Miley!" Mitchel grabbed my phone. "Who ya' textin'?"

"Give that back!" I ran after him, grabbing his arm as he squirmed around. I heard my ringtone go off, signaling a new text.

"From Nick," he rose he eyebrows in feign surprise. "I'm glad. Remember, be nice to her. She'll... nevermind. Your private life," he skimmed it over before finding the next place he thought he'd share. "I can't wait to see you too. I miss you. Love you too. Sorry for last night."

"Give me it!" I hit him. He rolled his eyes, handing it over to me before turning into the serious, caring guy he was two seconds ago.

"Last night? Uh-oh. Trouble in paradise?"

"Something like that," I sighed, quickly replying.

"He told me about that," Selena cut in. "I'm glad you guys worked it out."

I felt myself freeze as I snapped over to her. "Wait. What did he tell you about it?"

"I-It's not important. You guys are be-"

"Tell me exactly what he said," I commanded.

Selena looked around the room, trying to decide what she should do before she finally realized she had no choice, letting her eyes settle on me. "He just told me that he didn't know what to do and asked for advice."

"Well, what did he need advice on?"

"The story he told me was that you guys were talking, then suddenly you got really upset and worked up because he was talking to this other girl. And that you think some girl is in love with him, but he's absolutely positive they're just friends. But you still didn't want him to be friends with this girl," she explained.

"Did he tell you who the girl was?"

"No, he refused," she looked down, furrowing her eyebrows. I could tell that she'd tried to get it out of him. What I couldn't tell, though, was whether she wanted to know because of curiosity or because she loved him – which she _did. _I sighed in relief, knowing that she didn't know a thing, watching as Emily scoffed and walk out.

"Read-through!" the director called, letting it be heard over the speakers. We all looked around, moving to the larger conference room and sitting in a circle.

"Miley, you start."

I flipped the page open, beginning my lines. Just reading through the script and I knew that Selena and I would have the perfect chemistry for our characters. I still tried to get along with her, but we both knew that she didn't like me and I certainly didn't like her.

Nick came to watch the live show on the last day where we performed in front of an audience. He came to surprise me. I ran up to him, giving him a kiss while Mitchel did his little whistle that he _always _did while Nick was around.

"You look pretty as a Pop-Star, but I like you a lot better as Miley."

As soon as he said that I knew that it was just a fight earlier. Selena wouldn't come between us – we were stronger than that. I knew that in the end, everything would be okay.

**September 16, 2007**

Nick never looked happier than he did on his birthday. The entire time he was glowing. When I got to tour rehearsal he was the happiest I'd seen him in a long time, and when I ran up to him it just helped his mood.

"Happy Birthday!" I screamed, attacking him in a hug. He grinned, pulling me closer. "I got you something, so you're coming home with me."

He chuckled, nodding. "Did you get anything amazing yet?"

"I got you."

"Cheesy," I hit him.

"I know, but I love you," he whispered in my ear, shying away from my dad.

"You're something else," I pulled him closer, taking in all I could before Kenny pulled us apart.

After rehearsal was the best though. Once we got to my house and I gave him his present he pulled me into the most passionate, breath-taking kiss he could manage. I got him two things; a guitar with a bike. I knew he needed a new guitar, but since they were just starting and weren't guaranteed to be big yet his mom was really begging him to wait. I decided I'd be the one to push him forward. It was the best guitar I could find. As for the bike, I thought he needed a new one. I was sick of him walking beside me, barely keeping up.

That day, he took out the guitar, took out his lucky pick from his pocket, and played _When You Look Me In The Eyes. _I could have cried from his voice.

"C'mon," he took my hand, leading me away from my house.

"I can't. I need to get ready for your party."

"You already look beautiful," he promised me.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm in sweats and a T-Shirt, I'm not wearing make-up, and I haven't taken a shower yet. I'm changing."

"Fine," he gave in, putting one last kiss on my lips. "But hurry. Because the party can't start without you there."

I don't think I had ever taken a quicker shower. It took me forty-five minutes flat to get ready. Of course, after that I had too much time left, so I decided to straighten my hair. Go figure, that would make us late. Plus, Brandi and Sam were being the two most complicated people ever, not wanting to leave. Finally I agreed, letting them stay there. I went alone with my mom (she would be hanging out with Denise all night, helping keep things in control. We all knew Denise was too nice to say No).

Walking in I think I was one of the last to arrive. I was a half-hour late and at least fifty to a hundred other teens were already there. I greeted most of them, making my way through the crowd to the boys. They were in the back, of course, alone with Danielle, Demi and... Selena. I should have known he'd invite her.

I gave them all a hug, saving Nick for last. "Happy Birthday, again!"

He smiled. I went in to give him a quick peck before he pulled away from me. "Not here, okay?"

I nodded, but in truth, I didn't understand at all. I had been able to do it at tour rehearsal. Why not here? Why not in front of Selena? I mean, I was pretty sure Demi wasn't the problem here.

"What were you saying, Sel?"

I bit my lip, looking over to Danielle for help. She always knew what to do. She was practically my older sister after all the times I'd seen here. Even she looked confused though, not knowing what to say. She took my wrist, smiling at me. "C'mon. Let's go dance."

Under any normal circumstances, I'd be pissed off if she even thought of dragging me away from Nick. Today, I couldn't have been happier. I didn't want to be there.

"What's going on with you two?" she asked once we were in the middle of everyone, far enough away for me not to see him.

I wish I knew.

"Nothing. He's just friends with her."

"And you're not okay with that?" she guessed.

I took this to my advantage. Did she see it too?

"How does she look at him to you? Like a friend, or enemy, or..."

Danielle stared at me before weaving her way out of the crowd a little to study Selena again. She looked away quicker than ever, facing me again as if it had burned her eyes.

"Well?"

"She looks at him the same way you do."

It was bittersweet. So it was true. "I'm not going crazy then."

She pulled me into a hug, walking over to the refreshment table. "Wanna talk about it?"

"I found out he was friends with her, knew she likes him, got jealous, got in a fight, fixed it, been happy as ever, and now getting ignored."

"He's crazy over you, Miles." I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to be okay with his attitude towards me tonight, because I wasn't. What did I ever do to make him ignore me? I simply nodded, walking back over. It was as if Nick didn't even notice.

I waited for ten minutes to see if he would peel his fucking eyes off Selena before deciding to leave their little group and find my own friends. I knew eighty percent of the people in Disney and as far as I knew they all liked me. There had to be someone here that I would enjoy.

I walked around the crowd for awhile before running up to Zac and Vanessa, giving them a hug. They both laughed, happily obliging.

"If it isn't little C."

I stuck my tongue out him.

"No cure to his mouth yet, huh?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "Trust me, I've tried. But, he's hot so, it's okay," she yelled over the music. "Why are you here? I thought you'd be with Nick."

"He's with some slutty-ass new girl who's in love with him, yet he doesn't see it and is her best-friend, therefore ignoring me."

Zac punched his fist into the palm of his hand. "Need me to talk some sense into him?"

"If it wasn't his birthday I would," I told him. He rose his eyebrows, obviously not expecting that. "unfortunately it is, though. So, no."

"Girls are bitches, but guys are assholes."

I laughed at that, agreeing with Vanessa immediately. We may be petty but at least we're thoughtful enough to care.

"Where's Tizzy? I'll go bother her. I'm sure you two need alone time."

"It's fine. You're cute," Zac pinched my cheeks. "Seriously. I'll always think of you as a little kid."

"Same. I'll always picture you as that twelve year old Nick came to Zac drooling over."

"I won't. Miley is a mature adult!" I turned around, seeing Dylan and Cole. I laughed, giving them a hug.

"See, this is why these two are my homeboys," I draped an arm around each of those. "Speaking of which, do my homeboys even know the Jonas'?"

"Nah. Ash was talking about it, and you know Cole, he pretty much made her invite us," Dylan rolled his eyes. "Kids these days."

"I hear you're dating one. Why don't you introduce us?" Cole pressed.

"I'll pass," I smiled. "I'm not happy with my boyfriend right now."

Dylan nudged me. "I'm telling you, you shoulda stayed with me. We could've been something, Miles."

I giggled, beginning to walk away. "See you later, Dyl. I'm gonna go find Ashley."

Behind me I heard them all say bye. I sighed, trying to make my way through the crowd. It took awhile of looking but finally I saw her. She was sort of by the Jonas' but it didn't matter. Once she saw me she began running, meeting me in the middle. Even closer to the Jonas' than she was before... Great.

"MiCy!"

"Tizzy!"

"Where have you been?" she scolded.

"You know, the usual. Shooting on set, award shows, same old," I joked. She laughed, pulling me into a hug. "Where have you been? Other than sucking your newest boyfriend's face off."

"Ha-ha," she glared at me. I glanced over at the brothers. I knew that all six of them in their little group were listening in, seeing if I was just here for them. I wasn't. I was too pissed at Nick to try and make him jealous.

I went home that way too. I didn't even say bye to him just to prove my point. I hung out with Joe and Demi a few minutes before I gave a hug, making my exit. I let my mom know before walking out the door with a few other people, crossing the street.

Exactly an hour and a half later I got a text from him.

_Where are you?_

Glad to know he had missed me. Funny how he just noticed now that he couldn't find me, though. Selena must have left.

_Home. Happy birthday. Hope you had fun._

I left it blunt. No smiley faces, no abbreviations, no full sentences. Hopefully he'd get the hint. If he didn't he was a complete idiot.

_You okay?_

_ Goodnight._

I shut off my phone after that, going to sleep. I didn't care if he would be worried. In fact, I hoped he would be, he deserved it. I mean, really. I couldn't even kiss him? No one was there to take a picture, no one would go to a magazine as a source – the only reason he could have was Selena. It was bullshit!

I refused to be a back-up. And he better realize that now. I'm not one to play games and he was no exception. He had better pick one of us now, because I wouldn't be getting screwed over much more without me PMSing all over his ass.

It didn't matter what Nick said. He treated her like his girlfriend tonight – not me. I was jealous, I knew that, but at the same time it made me wonder things. Like, maybe he liked her more... **Maybe** he liked her the same way she liked him.

**October 30, 2007**

Tour. Those short two months held more memories for me than the rest of my life did. Some were the best memories of my life. Others... not so much.

The best memory was hands down the first night I got the guts to do that little kiss on the cheek in front of thousands of people. It didn't matter that we got lectured as if we had just set up a Nazi camp. The look on his face when I did it – he never saw it coming. Yet, he was _so _happy. He blinked once before looking to me who was already halfway up the catwalk. When we were finally able to be together backstage he pulled me close into this deep kiss.

I never got how people thought he was so mad about me kissing him every night, he wasn't. Maybe he was a little disappointed that we got more attention, but he _definitely_ wasn't mad. That night we sat on two different buses texting and IMing until four in the morning. I slept until my mom finally woke me up at one because we had arrived at the venue.

After I threw on a pair of sweats and combed through my hair I ran out of the bus so quick. I couldn't wait to see him. This tour was going great. I couldn't have asked for anything better. All it had been doing was bringing us closer.

Then... there were the worst parts. The Selena-filled parts mostly. I don't know what it was with her, but ever since she entered the picture Nick and I weren't the same. We would pretend sometimes – some nights we just spent together, acting like nothing was wrong and lying to each other about how happy we were that nothing could tear us apart. But the next day, when reality hit, we knew that we were in the middle of a tornado.

"She isn't a big deal, Miley! We are friends. You need to get that through your head, because it isn't changing!" he'd yell.

"She. Is. In love with you!" I would always fight with him. "She doesn't want to be just friends, Nick, that's the thing!"

That's how every argument would start. Thinking back, I think I could count the times we fought about other things on my fingers. It was so rare to hear us arguing about things other than Selena. Joe always tried to tell me that Nick loved me. How he would always be there... I wasn't so sure, though. I mean, if he really did love me, and if he really was always going to be there, was it even possible to have this many fights. Better yet, was it possible to have this many doubts.

In one way, being on tour with him had pulled us together closer than ever. Now, he was fine with being public. After tour – if we even made it that long – he wanted to tell the world about us. He was ready to let every single person, every single fan, every single stalker know exactly how in love we were, and – let me tell you – that is the best feeling in the world.

But then, in another way, all it did was tear us apart. I'd end up on my bus half the time with tears streaming down my face. The forty-nine percent of the time I'd be ready to give up completely. Then, that small one percent left of me were the times that we were actually that couple that we used to be Once Upon a Time ago and I was truly happy. That one percent was the times that I made him the better person he made me and we were living Happily Ever After.

Half those times I was just living in the past, though. Or we were ignoring our probems again, sprinting away from them instead of facing it. Sometimes, running just becomes so much easier.

Eventually, though, everyone gets tired of running.

**November 21, 2007.**

You know those nights that are just too perfect? You go out to an award show, pose for pictures, your boyfriend tells you that you're the hottest thing he's seen in his entire life, you get a gift bag just for arriving, then you go back to your tour bus, sit down, and fall asleep in the love of your life's arms. Absolutely perfect. Maybe you don't quite know how that feels, but it honestly was absolutely perfect.

Three days later, Nick came up to be and played a new song. I knew it would be their next hit. Come this summer and that song would be huge. Well, I called that much.

That one night, though, it was as the world stopped for us – as if it knew we were struggling so it gave us time to rest – and nothing could have made it any better.

If only those nights could turn into a lifetime.

**December 19, 2007.**

Things weren't working out. I wanted to say that they were, but instead of getting better they were getting worse. Our fights were getting louder and more frequent, and those moments that the world stopped for us were completely gone now. If anything we avoided each other so we wouldn't start a fight. Things were becoming more and more strained.

He was still talking to Selena just like he still didn't believe me. I knew she liked him. It didn't matter how much she would suck up to me, I still didn't like her. They probably texted and talked more than we fought. And we fought an awful lot. It was ridiculous how rare a real conversation with him was now. It probably hadn't happened since that night a few days after the AMA's.

When we walked down a different catwalk every night, I kissed him on the cheek, but now, it seemed that he walked a different way every night, he didn't want that kiss on the cheek. So one night, I didn't even try. I wanted him to care, but instead, it seemed like he didn't even notice.

It was official... Tour really had torn us apart. Sure, I did my goal of making them more well-known, but I ruined the only relationship I cared about in the process. In fact, we were hardly even a couple. Compared to the other people I worked with on tour, we were like strangers.

Maybe that's why I finally had the guts to do what I thought I never would be able to. Because it just wasn't fun anymore. The fighting, the jealousy, the lack of communication... It was time to finally let go. That night, I broke my own heart, ripped it out, shred it to pieces, and then I let Nick step on it for me.

As he was walking past, he nodded at me out of politeness, getting ready to pass me by like normal, but I knew it couldn't happen this time. Here, in Connecticut, it all had to finally be officially over. It was causing too much pain.

He gave a small smile when I pulled him aside. He had no idea what to say. Neither of us wanted to piss the other off too much.

Finally, I sighed, looking straight into his eyes. I could barely read them, and in a way, it was as if I had never even seen them before.

"Is this too much for us right now?" He cocked his head to the side as I broke our eye contact. I couldn't believe I was doing this. "Is this relationship really inconvenient for you?"

I heard him let out a breath as his hands went in his pockets. "No. This is just... It's a hard time, Miley."

"Well," I bit my lip, trying not to cry. I'd stay strong. "It's a hard time for me too, but it doesn't mean..." I looked back up into those eyes of a stranger. "Maybe we should take a break."

"If that's what you want."

"I don't want to," I confessed, feeling my lip start to quiver. "I can't deal with this right now, though. I mean, you have a potential, and I don't want to hold you back."

"You aren't."

"But, I will be soon," I pointed out. "Look at us. Really, really look at us. This is the first time we've talked in two days, and if this is us now, I don't even want to see what we'll be like while you're in another continent touring."

"Then, we should take a break," he agreed solemnly as I saw the tears building up in his own eyes. We both didn't want it, yet there wasn't another option. Not this time.

"I love you," I tried to smile, but it didn't turn out too well.

"Me too," he turned around to leave, then stopped, hesitating. "And I always will. Let's stay friends, okay? Because I want the break to be over soon."

I nodded, flipping the corners of my mouth the slightest bit. "Okay."

That night, I kissed him on the cheek. It was my way of saying that I still did love him. That I'd wait for him. That we were absolutely perfect for each other.

If only he'd felt the same.

**January 19, 2008.**

It's been one month since the break-up, and I really don't think I've stopped crying since. It wasn't just hard losing Nick. It was devastating. He'd been there for me every single day the last two and a half years, and now he wasn't. How was I supposed to handle that?

I couldn't say how many times I picked up the phone then didn't call him. Once, I got so far that I had even pressed send, but it took less than a second to hang up. It didn't even ring. He didn't try to call me either, though, and I knew the whole 'let's be friends' line wasn't going to happen.

I sighed, finally hopping out of the hotel pool where all the other dancers were swimming along with Aly and A.J.. I looked around, finally spotting Mandy. She'd been my dancer since before I was even famous, and while we weren't that close, we could at least talk. That was a step further than Nick went.

I went over by her, sitting down next to her.

"Hey."

"Hey," she looked up. "Not in the pool mood?"

"Nah," I sighed.

"What's wrong?"

I shrugged. "You heard the whole Vanessa thing, then everyone knows about Nick. It's hard, you know?"

"Yeah," she let out a breath. "Life sucks."

"What's going on?"

"My best-friend is an egotistical bitch," she muttered.

I nodded slowly, not quite sure what to say. She looked up at me.

"You wanna go up to my room?"

"Sure," I smiled as she led the way.

Once we got there it was silent for a bit. We weren't best-friends, there weren't many topics we could discuss other than our jobs. But, it still felt nice to sit with someone else who was obviously going through a rough time too. We could be miserable together.

"Wanna be best-friends?" I suddenly looked up, a small smile on my face.

She knew I was joking, laughing. "Yeah."

I didn't think anything would happen. Sure, we traded stories until three in the morning and she was really easy to talk to, but after that night, I figured she'd go back with the dancers and I'd go back to moping alone. The last thing I thought was that we'd be best-friends.

But, we were both in pain, and after that night, it kind of happened. That was the first night I ever played _7 Things _in front of anyone, and it felt good. Really good.

I had a best-friend, and while it didn't fix much, it made me feel like I was moving on. Like I was putting my life back together.

Mandy and I, we were going to help each other.

**February 23, 2008**

Mandy and I had gotten close to the point where we were inseparable. I could vent to her, then she'd vent right back to me. She was the only person who I had let my walls down with since the first day. She was there for me, and I knew it. She wasn't there for my fame. She was there to make sure I was okay after Nick, and Vanessa, and the huge photo leak.

Nick and I, however, had gotten farther and farther apart. And Mandy saw that change in my attitude. She saw how I went to being sad to downright angry and disappointed and fixed me on those days where I wanted to lie in bed and cry.

Then, somehow she found a video on YouTube of them goofing around. There was even one to Nobody's Perfect. For some reason, I saw a hidden meaning in it. Almost as if she was saying _Nobody's perfect, but, Honey, you didn't come close. I have him._ Then again, anything Selena did would make me think that.

I pushed the laptop away as she pulled it back.

"No, we're gonna make our own webshow," she told me, setting it up.

I smiled, liking where this was going. Some people said we copied them, but I like to think of it more as we gave them competition. I also like to think we won.

The video started out as us goofing around. We were being stupid, dancing to who knows what. In those parts, we looked like idiots, but I had even fooled myself by my acting of being happy.

Then, we shot other clips. More... interesting clips of us in my room. She was looking through a magazine, I was looking through a photo album, we both knew full on what we were doing. The entire purpose of this webshow was to show not only Nick, but the entire family that I was fine without them. And that's what we were going to do.

"What ya looking at there, Miles?" she started, that glimmer of payback in her eyes.

"Well," I cut out the answer. I didn't want it to be too obvious it was about them. That the entire webshow was about the five best-friends.

"You're gay," Mandy sang, the clip coming back in before I cut it again.

This was my subtle way of saying 'fuck you' to them. And I was definitely enjoying making it.

Insert a few more clips of us looking through the magazine and doing random dancing. Then, came the next clip. The most obvious clip.

I held up a picture of Nick and I. "Can you say irresistible?"

"Irresistible," Mandy responded.

I waited a few second before throwing down the picture. "Hah!"

"That'd be so funny, us rocking out to a Jonas Brothers album," I mentioned the next thing of them.

"I have one in my car," Mandy looked up at me, trying to fight a smile. "Like, I think I have a stack of CD's-"

"That's so weird. Right now," I told her. "What's your excuse?"

She gave me one, but that had to be cut out too.

I went back to the clip of us looking through magazines next, showing Mandy start slightly poking fun at their song.

"I've been to the year 3000," Mandy laughed as I went back to looking at the photo album. "Except for people live under water or something?"

She laughed at the lyrics again.

Then, came the icing on the cake. Putting _When You Look Me in the Eyes_ as the background music for the credits. That part was more for Selena and Demi, reminding them that I was there first. That all those love songs were written for me, and they couldn't get rid of those memories.

And I have to say it worked.

For awhile.

**March 14, 2008**

"They're dating," I spat when I saw Mandy, throwing down my bag.

"I'm guessing you don't mean Joe and Demi?" she asked meekly.

I shook my head. I didn't know what to feel. If I should be pissed, disappointed, hurt. Maybe all of the above. They'd been dating for three weeks meaning it took a whole two months for him to move on. Did I not mean anything to him?

I wonder if he still didn't believe she was in love with him. Maybe, just maybe, I was telling him the truth and wasn't a jealous girlfriend back then. I bit my lip, ready to hit something as I shook my head. I couldn't believe it. It took some guts to move on to the one girl he knew I didn't like.

That was the last straw.

I was so pissed, that if I saw him I was full on ready to punch him, cuss at him, insult him, do anything to hurt him.

"You wanna get the message to them? Wanna show them you're pissed?"

I looked at Mandy confused as she furiously began writing down whatever Selena and Demi said.

"You're gonna be Selena," she told me, smirking a little. "And we're gonna have some fun with this."

"We're gonna repeat their video?"

She pulled out eyeliner, beginning to put a ton of it on. I laughed, shaking my head at how daring she was.

"We're gonna do a lot more than that," she smiled once she was done, setting up the camera for us.

We ran it through once before starting to film, and I had to admit, we got them back good. We still died laughing on tape, but if anything, that made it all the better. They _knew _that this wasn't an innocent 'parody'.

I smiled, typing the credits. I couldn't wait until they saw this.

"Go check out our friends YouTube," I spoke as I typed, Mandy still laughing. She was right. This made me feel a hell of a lot better. "XOXOXO 'M' and 'M'."

"All of them are in for a shock," Mandy spoke up as I went to upload it.

I hope they were. In fact, I hoped they were fucking pissed.

This was war, now.

**April 22, 2008**

I sighed, learning that more pictures had been released.

Looking at the comments I wanted to scream at everyone who was disappointed I would let this happen. I didn't let this happen. No, that would be stupid. In fact, I had already deleted those photos from my computer. Except why the hell would I ever delete anything from the outbox of my email? There was no point in that. Especially since they were all with Nick. I wanted to save those emails, if anything.

Half of me expected Nick to call. The other half didn't. The other half expected him to be happy that everything in my life kept going wrong.

I logged into my email (that now had a new password), doing my daily check on emails. I replied to all my previous conversations, then just as I was about to log off, a new one came in. I didn't recognize the address, but opened it anyways.

_Hey, Miley. It's demi. I think you should watch this. Joe wants you to know he meant it, by the way. It's just... yeah. uh, alright. this is getting awkward. bye, hope you like it. oh and FF to 4:25ish._

Underneath there was a link and I did hesitate whether I should click on it or not. I shrugged, finally. At least Demi still had the guts to talk to me. The rest of them obviously didn't, and that fact alone gave me more respect for her than I've had for anyone in awhile. I thought back, and realized that really, she wasn't that bad.

I clicked on the link. She wasn't Selena. She wouldn't send my anything to hurt me.

I watched it pop up, looking at the title. It was an interview from this morning. I did as I was told, skipping to 4:25.

"Have you seen the pictures, Joe, of Miley Cyrus floating around the internet?" the interviewer asked him.

I gulped, waiting for the insults to come.

"Uh, I-I don't think so."

He was lying, though. I could tell. I waited as whoever this guy was described my pictures, biting my lip. Why was this any of his business?

"Yeah, I think I heard about these," he began nervously. "We, we're – we're good friends of hers-" _Lie. _Friends talk to each other, Joseph. "and we're, um, we got her back and we love her to death."

I bit my lip. I didn't know if I should be mad because he's still trying to pull off the idea that we were friends, or happy because he said all of that. I shook it from my mind. It didn't matter, anyways, he couldn't say it to my face.

I exited the screen, going back to Demi's email and thinking. What was I supposed to say? After a few minutes I finally came up with the perfect response.

_Thanks. :)_

I kept it short and sweet, adding a smiley face to let her know that I wasn't mad at her. In fact, I don't think I ever was mad at her. Or at least not for a legit reason.

I saved her email, just in case I ever wanted it in the future.

**May 18, 2008**

My new single came out today. A part of me was happy... The other part, not so much. The response from the fans was great. It was the response from three particular brothers I was worried about. I wondered if they would realize that it wasn't a hate song at all. At the same time, I hoped Nick listened to those lyrics carefully. It was the most honest song I'd ever written.

_7 Things_, that song I played for Mandy four months back in a hotel room, wasn't like my other songs. It wasn't sugar-coated, and it definitely wasn't inspirational. But, people loved it. And that made me happy.

However, the speculation of it after a day was the problem. The one question on everyone's mind was who it was about. They all wanted to know. Some people had more guts than others, coming straight out and asking if it was about Nick. Those were the people who already knew the answer.

**June 20, 2008**

I sat on my couch with Mandy, actually watching Camp Rock. I don't know why, and I didn't even want to, but something drew me to it. Something inside made me watch it.

And learned that Demi... Demi could sing. Her acting wasn't the best, but Disney could fix that. Joe and her had chemistry beyond the set, though, and anyone saw that.

Mandy kept snickering about Nick or any of the other brothers, but I did give her the one rule that making fun of Demi was off limits. Ever since a month ago, I didn't want to be enemies. I wouldn't be enemies with her too. She didn't deserve it. She was innocent, so far.

After the movie the advertisement for their new music video came on as Mandy turned to me. "You wanna watch it?"

"Only to mock them."

"Of course," she smiled, keeping the TV on. I'd heard the song before, and instantly knew it was about me.

As it opened I smiled. It didn't matter how mad at them I was, they were amazing at what they did. Not only that, but they had passion which was more than most people in the industry.

Then, she came on. The little bitch who supposedly wasn't and never would be in love with my ex-boyfriend. Worse, she was playing the part of his girlfriend. The one he saved. My face turned hard and it took five seconds to react.

"Turn it off," I ordered.

I grabbed my computer, beginning to browse the web. I sighed. Demi was already getting bashed. I bit my lip, glancing at my phone. I had her number, I could easily text her. The question was would she want it? And if she was with the Jonas' or Selena I really didn't need them to see the text.

Finally I grabbed the phone, scrolling to her name and beginning to type. It didn't matter. I'd be nice, and if she thought I was weird, oh well. I could easily go back to hating her. Except this time I would have a reason.

Then, I managed to talk myself out of it again. She didn't want it. She had Selena and the Jonas' there if she needed to talk to anyone, and they were used to it. Well, maybe Selena wasn't – she was little miss perfect – but the Jonas' knew how to handle it fine. I would know. I taught them everything.

Teaching them everything was a mistake.

**July 22, 2008**

The Breakout release date. Maybe I wouldn't even remember it if it weren't for the fact that I got a half hour of sleep and had a million interviews. In every single interview, someone mentioned the Demi and Selena parody we did. Sure, it was five months ago and you'd think it would blow over, but it had just gotten bigger.

"We're really sorry, and we didn't mean to offend anybody," I'd always give the same answer in each one, apologizing. "We were just trying to be funny. We thought they were funny."

Mandy and I along with the five of them probably both knew that I wasn't apologizing for it, though. Not even close. I was justifying it, and not for them, for my image. I still didn't feel bad. I didn't regret making fun of them at all. I would have done it again in a heartbeat.

Sure, Demi was great, but Selena... She deserved this. She completely deserved it. She tore us apart, and I guess Demi was just kind of stuck in the middle. There was no way to redo the video without her in it.

The boys, most importantly, knew that I wasn't okay with their relationship. I wasn't okay with it at all, and that was the only point to the video. To let them know that I was pissed. I think it worked.

**July 30, 2008**

People read the dedication page. I didn't think anyone actually read those, but someone did. And that someone had definitely figured it out. They knew who _Prince Charming_ was, and they knew who all these songs were about.

I had only expected Nick to read it. I don't why, but it seemed like he would. I guess that was my way of letting him know that while I am mad, I'll always love him. Maybe not in the same way, but in one form or another, I would love him.

It wouldn't matter how many concerts he ignored me at or how many times he would replace me. He was too big of a part in my life to forget. And I guess now Nick would definitely see it. It was making OceanUp and JustJared, a part of me hoped he would see it.

Because it was the truth.

_And last, but not least... My Prince Charming. You know who you are. __Thank you for inspiring me for this record. I loved you then, I love you now, and I'll love you always._

**August 3, 2008**

It was my big day. I was hosting the Teen Choice Awards, and I wasn't gonna lie. I was nervous beyond belief. Sure, half of it was scripted, but still. It took a lot to host. Plus, M&M Cru was doing the dance off tonight against AC/DC.

I went up to Adam before it, smiling at him while I gave him a hug. We both knew that this was friendly competition and we both knew I'd probably end up winning.

"Just so you know, the Jonas' got pictures taken with the AC/DC shirts," he bit his lip as I sighed. While we weren't that close, and I didn't talk to him much, he knew enough to know that it was to hurt me.

"Thanks for telling me."

I expected to feel sad. I expected to feel a angry and depressed and not understand, but I understood perfectly, and this just pushed me over the edge. I put a smile on to my face as I opened the night with my song. I knew exactly what I would do. I would get payback. But, I wouldn't be a complete bitch about. I wouldn't be obvious... But I refused to be subtle.

The notes to _7 Things _began as I sang. I had this performance down by now. I'd performed it so many times. I walked over to Fergie, giving her a rose before going back to the performance. The second refrain I began walking down the steps into the audience once more.

I made eye contact with Selena, walking up to her. She froze before glaring at me, but the second the camera was on her that fake smile came back on her face. I leaned in, a spark in my eye from knowing fully what I was doing. She laughed, mouthing the words with me.

As I walked away I could feel her glare burning through me. She was pissed and I knew that the Jonas' got the memo when I glanced at them, all three shocked in their seats. That rumor that Nick was 'in the bathroom'? Oh, no. He was definitely there. He was forced to watch, and the only reason the cameras didn't show his face was because he was fucking pissed. I smiled. My goal was accomplished for the night.

**August 7, 2008**

It was out. That interview with _Seventeen Magazine_ from way back in February was now out and published. I sighed, knowing now that I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have gone public. I was just mad and stupid.

_I'm sorry._

I had texted Nick. I'd texted him those two words, hoping that he'd understand the interview was a mistake. Hoping that he understood that I didn't want things to be like this, I didn't want them to get this far. I didn't want to start a war. But I didn't know what else to say now. It was too late to take it all back, and honestly, I don't think I would have taken most of it back. I'd do it all over again except for that one interview. All I could do now was apologize. It's not like I could erase the entire interview.

But, if it makes a difference, I really wish I could have. At least for his sake.

**August 11, 2008**

Mandy walked into my room, walking over to me. She stared at me for a few seconds as I looked around, confused. Justin was wearing the same face, wondering why she wasn't saying anything.

"You haven't been online, have you?" She concluded.

"No, Justin and I have been hanging out all day," I nodded over to him. We weren't dating yet, but we were definitely getting closer.

She bit her lip, obviously contemplating something before going to get my computer.

"Just remember, you're so much better than they are," she lectured as she entered something into Google.

I instantly knew who this was about. Who else had I been in an undeclared war with for the past eight months? Who else would Mandy even say I was automatically better than.

"What'd they do?"

She sighed, clicking on a link and swiveling the computer to me. It was Kevin walking out of someplace. He was walking confidently as if he was waiting for me to open this page and see him.

I couldn't tear my eyes off the shirt. _Team Demi and Selena_, it read. Team Demi and Selena, I would repeat in my mind over and over. I knew we'd been fighting, but I didn't think it had gotten to the point where we needed a shirt to announce it to the world.

I shook my head, shutting the computer before I would cry. I could care less if Mandy saw me cry about this, but Justin wouldn't understand. He wouldn't see why it was such a big deal. He didn't understand how much it hurt to not only watch them turn their backs on me like a movie, but _feel_ them turn their backs on me.

After he left, though, oh, the tears definitely fell. I knew what they did to me, I knew why I was mad, but what did I _ever_ do to them that was so incredibly bad? Sure, I wore a shirt, and, sure, I made a video completely making fun of his girlfriend, but both times he deserved it. I wouldn't do it if I didn't fully believe that they must have seen some type of payback coming. Not only that, but I fucking apologized. I had said that I was fucking sorry. It wasn't my fault, but I had sucked up my pride and apologized.

I think what hurt the most, though, was that I was the one helped them become big, I helped them achieve everything they ever fucking dreamed of. I made them who they are and practically decided where they were. And while I didn't expect anything in return, none of these bitch slaps they kept giving me would have been a nice way to make it up to me. Because I didn't expect them to hate me for it either.

I was only trying to help them. If I knew it'd ruin them so much, I never would have done it.

**August 12, 2008**

I couldn't help it. I went out and bought the album. It was the first day it was out and I was still hurt from yesterday, but that didn't change the fact that they were once my rock. They were once my best-friends, even if we did try to forget about that minor detail.

I wondered if they had ever bought mine.

Driving home, I popped in the CD, listening to it. I drove and drove until it was over. During _Can't Have You _I drove a little slower, but it was nothing compared to _Sorry_. I could actually feel the pain in his voice, but that didn't matter. It didn't matter how much I wanted to go ask him if he still meant, if after all these months from when he recorded it, he still meant it, it was a song, and not everything could be solved by a few simple lyrics.

This fight was too big for a song to fix.

I wiped a few tears, driving back home and putting the CD in the same box with the rest of Nick's stuff. I still had it, hidden in the very back of my closet. No one knew about it and I had convinced Mandy that I'd thrown it out, but I still had it.

I still looked at it, too... Every once in awhile.

**August 20, 2008**

I was told it was her birthday and wasn't sure what to do. Should I send her an email? Would she _want_ one? For Selena's birthday I purposely made sure I outshone her, releasing Breakout. That definitely worked. No one remembered it was her birthday. In fact, I didn't think anyone knew it was her birthday in the first place.

Finally I decided to send it to her. She sent me that interview, she was being nice, as if nothing had happened – as if I hadn't publicly made fun of her. She deserved something from me. I scrolled down to her saved email, clicking on compose.

_Happy Birthday, Demi! Hope you're liking tour :) -xo Miley_

Simple. Sweet. With a smiley face. After thinking about it for ten minutes I finally pressed send. I wasn't going to back down.

Going back into my email the next day, I didn't expect a reply. I mostly expected for her to ignore it. My heart was thumping at what it would say. Maybe it'd be telling me off for the YouTube video or maybe she'd tell me off for the Jonas'.

Inside, she was only sweet, though. From that second I knew there was no bad blood between Demi and I.

_Thanks so much :D hahahaha, & tour is freaking awesome. I love it. You went back to Tennessee, right? How was that! ps, sorry about the whole kevin thing... i swear, i didn't know he was going to do that. I would've stopped him._

I smiled at her enthusiasm. And, that meant that she knew more about me than anyone would know by just looking at me. She knew where I came from, she still knew my email. In an odd way, I thought we were somehow connected.

_It was amazing! =] Everything is so peaceful there. & Kevin is Kevin. That's not your fault. I understand._

I knew it was Selena's fault. I'm not stupid. It was Selena's along with Nick and Kevin's. For some reason, I doubted Joe had any part in it.

_Thanks... I just don't want there to be any bad feelings between us. I know you're fighting with Nick & all them, but I don't want to be a part of that fight, you know? haha_

Well, then. At least someone had the balls to say what they felt. I found myself liking her more and more.

_No bad feelings :) I don't want a fight with you either._

**September 14, 2008**

i didn't want to go. In fact, I had done everything but gotten on my hands and knees while begging my mom not to make me. Or I at least wanted Justin – also my new boyfriend – there with me while I performed. Sure, it might have started another scandal, but I was positive that Concert for Hope would be the worst concert of my life.

I was right.

There were two other acts there. Demi – who wasn't so bad – and the Jonas' – who were the last people I wanted to see and would without a doubt keep Demi away from me all night. Which they did.

I walked in, my head held high. I refused to back down to them. I was stronger than they were, I had more power than they did, and when it came down to it, I could beat them at their games any day.

They saw me, and I knew they did. Nick should know that I could feel when his eyes were on me by now. It was almost like a sixth sense. However, when I looked over to them they all pretended to be looking away in their own little world. I rolled my eyes. A lot of things might have changed, but I still wasn't stupid.

I got dressed and had my make up and hair done before going back out. I'd definitely dressed casual, but I wanted to. Today I didn't feel like getting all dressed up when I knew people would love me either way, because (and the Jonas' could say whatever they wanted to) we all knew that most of the people here came for me. We all knew that those Team Miley signs were made for me, to go against them.

When they were performing I watched them. I'll admit it, they did good. But Demi did better. Maybe I said that because I was biased, or maybe it was because I'd never seen Demi's talent live before, or maybe it was because she really was better than they were, but she made them look like amateurs.

For a second, I wished I had taken her on tour the year before. I wished that I had made her big instead. She seemed like she could handle it. She seemed like she deserved it. Better yet, she seemed like she wouldn't change, because while she wanted it, she wouldn't drop her life for it.

I talked to her a little bit that night. Before I performed, while the Jonas' were finally away from her, instead singing onstage, I had my first real conversation with her. She was just as nice as she was in all of those emails, and if it weren't the brothers that were performing, I would say that we could be friends. Except we both knew she was crossing enemy lines by even talking to me.

Going up and knowing that Nick was probably watching me perform all of these songs that he knew were about him actually felt good. It felt liberating. It felt amazing. Finally knowing for a fact that he was hearing everything like _Full Circle_ felt good, because for the first time I knew he knew they were all about him.

The closing ceremonies... That's what would make me point out that one, single concert, as the worst in my life. The way we all went up, one by one in a line. I kicked Joe a little, letting him know that if there was one brother I would even consider forgiving, it'd be him. It was a light kick on the butt, but he turned around, smiling and giving me a firm hug.

I knew it didn't mean anything, but it still made me not feel like a complete loser. Those rumors that I waved to Nick, though? No. I wouldn't even consider it.

The worst part was that gap after the hug. I inched away from Joe, feeling too uncomfortable to even be that close to him. I really wished they had put Demi in between the four of us. It would have been so much less awkward. That gap... That gap was enough room to fit an entire other person in there. It was obvious to not only us, but the audience.

Instead of doing anything about it, I simply sighed. It was too late to fix now.

**September 16, 2008**

Was that supposed to be an important day? I couldn't remember...

**September 23, 2008**

_Don't Forget _came out today. It was Demi's first album, and surprisingly, I had received and invite to her release party. For a moment I actually considered going, too. Until I realized that the Jonas' and Selena would be there too. That changed my mind in an instant. Even after all this time, I didn't want to face them. Call me a coward, but I was afraid.

I did buy the CD, though. I went to wal-mart first thing, then bought it again on iTunes. She was going to be huge someday, and she didn't even know it. I'll give her a year to amaze the world. Maybe less.

I sent her a quick text to the number she'd given me less than a week ago, congratulating her.

Throughout that entire year, Demi was probably the only good thing that came out of it.

Well, her and Mandy.

**October 5, 2008**

My birthday party in Disneyland... That was pretty amazing. I invited a few hundred close friends while the rest of the people bought their own tickets. Disney had made me invite the Jonas', but -surprise, surprise- they declined.

Demi, however, was one of the first people to say she would definitely be there. For some reason, she was always the one who wasn't afraid of what the Jonas' might think. Half of the people who I'd thought would be there left around the same time as the Jonas'. It was obvious that there were teams, and while I may be winning when it came to fans, they were when it came to friends.

Demi was one of the only people who actually let them know that we were on good terms, and that she wouldn't ruin that. And they respected her. Well, that and I still was pretty positive that her and Joe had feelings for each other, despite him dating Taylor.

My party was the first time I had ever hugged her before. It was... different. It felt in between hugging a fan and hugging my best-friend. There was comfort there, but there was also adoration somewhere in the mix, and I had never felt that from a friend. In a way, I liked it.

"Happy very early Birthday!" She laughed.

I smiled at her, almost feeling at home. "Thanks! You look amazing. I love your dress."

"I think I'm supposed to tell you that. You're gorgeous, as always."

"Thanks! And girl, your CD is literally still on repeat on my iPod. I am legit obsessed with it," I told her, watching her entire face light up. I smiled. That always made me happy, watching other people become happy because of something I said.

"Really? That's awesome! I'm so happy you liked it."

"So, who do you want to meet?" I grinned as she looked at me confused.

"What? I didn't come here to meet anyone, I came for your birthday!"

I didn't expect that answer and wasn't even thinking that she could have just came here to meet some famous stars, but hearing her say that and watching her expression be so genuine made me like her even more. It was hard to tell who in Hollywood was fake. Maybe it was just because she was new to it, but I'm glad she wasn't.

Later, when I was opening presents I came across hers. I opened the card, reading what someone had actually taken the time to write out. Wow. You didn't see actual personalized notes in Hollywood much anymore. It was nice. Reading the note was even nicer. I didn't expect anything from her – after all, we barely knew each other, still – but Demi always has surprised me. I grinned, reading what she had written.

_Miley! Happy birthday! Well... sorta. I mean, it's a month early, but whatever. Haha, hope you have a good one :D we aren't really close (yet! ;)) so, i wasn't sure what to get you. It's just a little something. If you don't like it it's returnable :P See you later :) xoxoxoxo Demi._

Sometimes, I thought we could be best-friends.

**October 31, 2008**

I didn't tell him to, but he did it. Justin, my boyfriend, dressed up as Nick Jonas, my ex. As much as I wanted to tell him to take it off, I couldn't. It was too funny. He looked absolutely ridiculous, yet it was the most creative thing anyone could do.

"I thought I broke up with you already?" I told 'Nick'.

Jusse smiled, shaking his head. "Nah. I'm clingy. I couldn't let you go."

I laughed, pulling his arm. I knew that I'd probably get yelled at for taking him out while he was in his costume, but I decided it was worth it. It was the most fun I had had all year, trick-or-treating while he literally pretended to be Nick all night. Not to mention I almost died laughing multiple times.

If anyone tried to talk to him he'd start singing _Hello Beautiful _to them.

To this day, I don't know who gave him the idea for that costume, that acting, the way he sang all night, but I was sure glad they did.

It might be the best memory I have with him.

**November 23, 2008**

My birthday was the same date of the AMA's that year. We were all standing backstage after my performance, before the Jonas'. Well, all of us except the actual Jonas'. Ashley smiled at me as a few people brought over a cake.

It was a small celebration, but four of my favorite people weren't there. The Jonas' didn't want to be, then as for Demi, well... Other than Demi and I, no one even knew that we were slowly becoming best-friends. Therefore, no one invited her.

Taylor was there, though, and I hadn't seen her in forever. I knew she had noticed what I'd worn while performing. The way she looked at me showed that she saw that dangling dogtag while I sang. I couldn't even defend myself. We both knew who's dogtag that would be. It was just one of those days, though... I wanted to feel them with me again.

Next to her was Ashley Tisdale who had been my best-friend and adopted big sister since 2006. We didn't see each other much, but she was the one person who I knew that I could turn to for whatever. Whether it was problems with Nick or Demi or Mandy or fans or family, I knew that I could call her two in the morning and she'd listen.

When the Jonas' walked by the small celebration Jordan saw them first. She tried to distract me, but there was only so much everyone could do. I knew what they were doing, and Ashley knew that I knew as she bit her lip and Taylor hugged me.

Moving on didn't take away the memories.

**December 14, 2008**

Demi smiled, walking into my house for the first time. She looked around with wide eyes before finally looking back at me.

"I'm gonna get lost."

I giggled, pulling on her arm and taking her to the kitchen. "You'll eventually find your way around. It might take a few more trips over, though."

"I think I can deal with that," she laughed.

"I don't know," I faced her a small smile playing on my face. "I'm pretty hard to put up with."

"Trust me, I'll manage," she told me as we walked into my room. I sat down on the bed, letting her go wherever.

She sat near me, keeping quiet for a bit and for a second, I thought that it was gonna be awkward. It was the first time we had every really hung out outside of an event. I mean, sure, we always texted and everything, but we never saw each other enough in person to have a real conversation.

"So, how's Justin?" she asked.

"What?" I didn't think she knew about him. Then again, I should have figured she did. Demi knew a lot about me. More than I expected, at least.

"You know, Gaston? Tall, underwear model, your boyfriend?"

"Ha ha," I told her sarcastically. "I know who, I just didn't know you knew about him."

"Everyone knows about him."

I nodded, trying to decide if that meant Nick knew. "He's good. How's Joe?"

She furrowed her eyebrows before deciding to take my response to the question. "_What_?"

"You know, Jonas? Tall, Jonas Brother, your crush?"

"Whoa, I don't like him," she laughed. "Oh, boy. I don't like him like that at all."

I rolled my eyes. Fine, they could go with that for now, but when the two of them started dating she'd never hear the end of it from me.

"What about the rest of the brothers?" I asked her quietly, knowing that I was going out of both of our comfort zones.

"Kevin is good and Frankie's still a troublemaker. Then, Nick is... Nick."

I nodded a little.

"Him and Selena broke up," she informed me. I tried to keep my expression the same, but there was only so much I could do. That shocked me, yet made me more than happy at the same time. "She broke up with him, because she said she was tired of being a seat-filler."

"Why are you telling me this?"

She shrugged, causing me to only cross my arms. Demi hadn't seen my bitchy side yet, but if she was going to keep something from me it'd be coming out soon.

"Because we both know Justin is only a seat-filler for Nick," She let out, almost whispering it as I shook my head.

"No he isn't," I told her. But even to me, it sounded as if I was trying to convince myself too.

"So you can tell me that you honestly have absolutely no feelings for Nick? You never want to kiss him again or hear him say that he loves you?"

I learned one important thing about Demi that night. She was the most honest person I'd ever met. She said what was on her mind and that made it feel comfortable. Gossiping and having all these deep conversations didn't make it seem like we weren't even supposed to be friends. It made it seem like we were best-friends. I started not being able to imagine my life without her that night.

I stayed quiet, giving us both the answer to her question.

I wasn't even close to moving on. I wasn't even trying anymore.

**January 11, 2009**

Golden Globes. It was annual and held every year, I expected it to be just like any other award show. I expected nothing to happen. I expected for it to be unmemorable, but it wasn't. If anything, Golden Globes was wear my entire life started turning around.

I didn't know it then, but that night would be the first of many nights where things began to look up. It took a year, but things finally began looking up instead of crashing down.

There was a line for an interview with Ryan, and no one could exactly not have an interview with Ryan. He was the biggest person there interviewing, and the nicest.

Looking in front of me at who was being questioned I froze. I wondered if they knew I was right behind them. I wondered if they knew Demi had told me all about Selena, and how Nick hadn't moved on yet. How he was still right there, waiting for me.

As we crossed paths, nothing really happened. We walked by as if we had never been a huge part in each others' lives, as we always did now adays. But then, something caused me to turn around. I don't know what it was, but I had the urge to look back for once. Nick obviously did too.

Our eyes met for the first time since that day back in Connecticut, and I watched as he smiled at me. I want to say that I didn't give in just like that, or that I snarled in response, but he's my Prince Charming. It took a moment for me to melt, my eyes shining with happiness and curiosity as I smiled straight back at him. It was innocent, and to the world, it was probably nothing.

To me it was everything.

**January 19, 2009**

I was the first singer on stage. I'd be singing one of my new songs from _Hannah Montana: The Movie._ I really liked the song, too. It had a great message, and I thought it could be big.

But compared to what happened at the very end, the song meant nothing to me.

Everyone who was famous that happened to be in the building was standing there on stage, and suddenly Nick gained confidence. It was definitely out of his character, but he started going down the line, hugging each person. When he reached Demi, I expected him to skip me. I didn't expect anything from him anymore. I was used to it. It was fine.

When he met my eyes with a small smile, I was more than surprised. He wrapped his arms around me, and saying that I was surprised was an understatement. I knew that our hug lingered a little longer than everyone else's, but we hadn't been in that position in a year and we both weren't sure when we'd get the chance to hug again. It had to be a little bit longer.

It was an awkward hug, and I could tell that we both would have to get used to each other again, but when his arms were around me I wanted to pretend that everything was okay again. That somehow we could go back to the way we were in 2007. We both knew it wasn't likely, but that just made me pretend even more. I closed my eyes and knew that we both didn't want to let go.

Later that night, I sent him a text. After all, I finally had a reason. And maybe this time, he wouldn't ignore it.

_Whyd you hug me?_

His reply came instantly.

_**Why wouldn't I?**_

_I thought you hated me._

I smiled at his response. It made me think that we might stand a chance.

**I could never hate you. I'll be dead before that happens.**

I wasn't letting my guard down that easily, though.

_ I thought you were team demi & selena._

**Go outside. I'll meet you there. If I text it you'll delete it.**

I knew that that wasn't supposed to be funny, but it made me laugh. He had listened to the song. And if he was able to quote the lyrics that quickly he obviously had heard it more than a few times.

_Alright._

I walked outside of my hotel room, not sure where he was planning to meet me. Therefore, I decided to simply stand there, my heart racing. What did he want to tell me? It took about five seconds for a door across the hall to open and him to walk out.

"Hey, Miley," he said quietly.

It felt so good to hear him say my name again.

"Hi." There was silence for a moment. "So, uh, what'd you wanna say?"

"Sorry," he told me. I crossed my arms. After over a year, that didn't seem like enough anymore. "For everything," he continued. "I'm sorry for not holding through with the friendship deal, I just couldn't. I couldn't be your friend back then and not kiss you or get jealous, or anything like that. I couldn't do it."

"I didn't want you to just be my friend for the rest of my life-"

"You broke up with me!"

"I said we were going on a _break_!" I rose my voice, glaring at him. "You're the one who decided it wasn't a break for us. You're the one who moved on in two months. You're the one-"

"I get it," he looked down. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"You didn't want to hurt me?" I repeated shaking my head at him. "If you didn't want to hurt me, you wouldn't have fucking moved on so damn fast. Or you would have at least hidden it."

"I didn't move on."

"Selena?"

"Justin?"

"Don't even bring him into this!" I growled.

"You're right, I'm sorry," he gave in, staring at me. I felt myself loosening up. Nick never gave up a good fight. "I'm sorry that I moved on so quickly, and for Kevin's shirt, and moving on to Selena, and ignoring you, and that space between us at Concert for Hope. I'm sorry we didn't go to your birthday party, and I'm so sorry for not believing you when you said Selena was in love with me. I should have known you wouldn't lie to me."

I put my arms down, knowing that I was supposed to apologize now too. After all, although I was the innocent one in all of this, I wasn't _that_ innocent.

"I'm sorry for making fun of your girlfriend."

Nick smiled, leaning against the wall, knowing me well enough to know that he'd have to force it all out. "And?"

"And for singing to her at TCA's."

"And?"

"And for going public with our relationship."

"And?"

"And nothing. That's it," I admitted as he rose his eyebrows at me for awhile. "Oh, I'm not apologizing for _7 Things_. That mistake brought me in thousands. I'd definitely do that all again."

He shook his head, chuckling. "That's fair."

I nodded, glancing away before it turned awkward.

"Do you forgive me?"

"Do you forgive me?" I challenged him.

"Well, there wasn't really much for me to forgive. It's you who has a lot to look past."

I sighed, giving him the smallest, faintest smile. "You know I can't stay mad at you."

His face automatically turned into a smile. "Friends?"

"Definitely friends," I went over hugging him. I smirked as I we were pressed together pulling away. "I hate your shirt."

**January 22, 2009**

I don't know what caused me to do it, but I had to. I had to somehow tell the world that Nick and I were friends. More importantly, I really wanted to clear up these stupid rumors and tell everyone that Demi and I were best-friends.

Therefore, I set up the video camera and dragged my sister into the room. I didn't expect her to say much, I just wanted her with me. I tried to drag it out, not mentioning them until the end. Other rumors were hard to think of, but for six minutes I stalled. Then, I finally let it all out.

"She is one of my bestest-friends," I started out about Demi, randomly turning it into Nick. "I love her more than anything in the whole wide world, I love the Jonas Brothers – I love _Nicky_. I love Kevin, I love Joe, I love Frankie, I love their family, so everyone just has to back off the feud, because we're over it, and so are y'all."

I don't know what possessed me to use 'Nicky', but something did. Something in me felt the need to say it again. I hadn't said in almost a year, after all.

And, I must say, it felt good to say it again. Like something natural had left returned again. It let me give out one of those real smiles again.

2009 would be a good year.

**uhh, im too lazy to finish this :O maybe i will someday... i honestly forgot about this until i opened it thinking it was something else. so, it might become a two shot someday. its just hard, figuring out those exact dates, you know?**

**Anywayssss, tell me what you thought?**

**:D**

**twitter; iaskedtaylorx**


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